"Thanks for the ride partner," Applejack said, she fanned her face with her stetson, blonde hair waving in the small breeze, turning to Sunset Shimmer," but when are we gettin goin again?" She squinted her emerald eyes, looking around. Nothin in sight.
"Soon," Sunset sighed wiping the grease of the engine on a cloth. Her orange and yellow hair was covered in blotches of oil. Her leather jacket was set on the ground next to her. Next to that was a tool box," if the engine would just start."
The sun beat down on Sunset and Applejack. The car had broken down in the middle of nowhere, there were no bars, no gas stations, mechanics, they were in the middle of a desert.
"Maybe ya just ain't doin' it right," Applejack said.
"No AJ, I know how to fix my own car," Sunset sighed," but something isn't right about this at all. I swear I just got it fixed after last weeks magical mishap."
"Well i'm sure it just needs one of them jumpstarts," Applejack suggested.
"Yeah," Sunset said walking around to the back of the car," i'm sure I have a battery back here to get her goin."
Sunset opened the trunk and a few batches of apples fell out.
"Applejack," Sunset sighed," why are there a bunch of apples in my trunk?"
"Oh well ya see," Applejack laughed," I couldn't fit em in mah briefcases. So I didn't think you'd mind if I emptied out yer trunk and put em in there."
"Applejack," Sunset groaned," you tossed out the only way to jumpstart the car."
"Whoops, I suppose I gone and did."
"AJ, do you have the map?"
"Why coarse I do sugar cube."
"Well can I look at it?"
"Sure thang."
Applejack opened the back door to Sunset's car and grabbed the map. Sunset packed the apples back down and slammed the trunk, the crunching of apples escaped the trunk and Sunset groaned, it was going to take forever to get that cleaned out. Applejack handed Sunset the map, the nearest town was fifteen miles north, if they started now they'd come across a gas station by nightfall.
"So what're we doin about all this," Applejack asked, peering over Sunset's shoulder at the map.
"Well if we head north we should reach a gas station, there we'll call a tow truck out here to pick up the car, and take us into town."
Sunset folded the map and stuffed it in her jacket. Sunset and Applejack began walking north. Down the road the glint of metal, sparkled, in the desert. The object was an old, red convertible. As they got closer Sunset and Applejack could hear the sound of music blasting from the radio. They didn't see any driver or passengers, as they got closer the smell of guano emitted from the hood. Applejack leaned in, and on the seats was a man, with long, black hair. He wore shades over his eyes and his hands held his head. He had a smile on his face, an eerie sort of smile, as if he had done something sinister. His shirt was cut off at the shoulders, and the words Avenged Sevenfold sprawled across the front. He wore jeans, with chains on either side, and his boots were covered in sand and mud.
"Oh hello," the man said," I had no idea i'd be expecting company, give me a sec."
The man struggled to get out of his position, grunting as he sat up.
"So," he said, taking off his sunglasses," what can I do for ya, an autograph, a picture? If you're here for the money I told your boss I ain't got it."
"We were actually going to ask for a ride, maybe borrow your cellphone," Sunset mumbled.
"What was that sweetie," the man asked," i'm afraid the music is cutting you out."
"We were wondering if you could give us a ride to the nearest town," Sunset shouted," and maybe borrow your cellphone."
"A ride," the man asked," sure, hop on in. I was just heading that way anyways, I decided to take a rest out here."
"Why in tarnations are you restin in the middle of the desert," Applejack asked.
"Just letting in all the memories I had out here," the man smiled," is that a bad thing?"
"Well no, I suppose it ain't," Applejack rolled her eyes.
"Well what're ya waitin for," the man asked," bats to fly outta the engine?"
"Well, no," Sunset said, an eyebrow raised.
"Then come on," the man laughed, patting the seat next to him," you can sit up front sexy."
"Sir are ya drunk," Applejack asked as she got in the back.
"No," the man continued laughing," no i'm just having a great time."
As Sunset sat down the man floored on the peddle. The convertible skidded on the sand before taking off down the road. The man turned up the music as he took a right, speeding up as he did. For the next few minutes the two girls were silent. The car ground to a halt outside a motel and the girls got out, followed by the man. The motel looked ragged, and worn down, lights flickered and the doors creaked on their hinges.
"Wow," Sunset smiled nervously," I really like the, color?"
"Oh don't talk like that," the man laughed," this is only the outside, you're going to love the inside."
The man took them to the front where an old woman sat perched on a plastic chair. Her eyes seemed so large compared to the rest of her face, and a smile stretched, uncomfortably across her face.
"Mornin Judy," the man waved," how's the business?"
"Very well," Judy replied," just got a brand new stock, all thanks to you."
"Excuse me, um, Judy," Sunset interrupted," you wouldn't have a phone I can use, would you?"
"Why yes deerie," Judy replied," it's inside, help yourself."
"Come on AJ," Sunset hurried," this place gives me the creeps."
Applejack and Sunset walked through the door and towards the front desk. The place looked rather new, with strange wallpaper set around. Skulls with bat wings were plastered across the wallpaper and the floor was covered by a deep gray carpet. At the desk, a computer sat, and next to it, a phone. Sunset picked it up and dialed Twilight's number, if anyone would waste no time coming here, it was Twilight. The phone rang a few times before it went to voice mail.
"Hi, you've reached the cellphone of Twilight Sparkle. I am currently unavailable at the moment, most likely studying for my application to an independent study program, please leave a message after the beep and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible."
The phone clicked and soon after it beeped.
"Hey Twilight," Sunset said into the phone,"first of all, you still haven't changed your answering machine message, second, we're currently at a motel near, Applejack go ask the guy where we are."
Applejack nodded and walked out the door leaving Sunset alone.
"Excuse Mr." Applejack paused, he hadn't even told them his name.
"Swodahs," the man smiled,"Swodahs M."
"Excuse me Mr. Swodahs, where are we exactly," Applejack asked.
"It's hard to say," Swodahs laughed looking around," why did IT call YOU here?"
"You drove us up here," Applejack frowned, both confused, and angered by the answer she received.
"But your car broke down," Swodahs nodded off to the open desert," you woulda wound up dead if this place hadn't demanded our fates touch."
"What in tarnations are you babblin on 'bout."
"Welcome to the strangest place in the U.S. of A," Swodahs laughed, spreading out his arms as if there were more to see.
"A motel?"
"No, go on and walk around, you may find things aren't exactly what they seem pretty lady."
Swodahs laughed as he turned around and walked into the motel.
"Wait one dog pickin minute there."
Applejack ran into the building but there was no sign of Swodahs, only Sunset Shimmer.
"So, did you find out where we are," Sunset asked.
Applejack looked around, exasperated by what just happened.
"The strangest place in the U.S.A," Applejack replied.
"That isn't much of an answer AJ," Sunset frowned.
"That's all Swodahs told me before he disappeared, enterin this motel," Applejack continued to look around, trying to understand how he had done it.
"Swodahs, the guy from outside right," Sunset asked.
"Yeah. He gone and walked in here, but now he ain't here," Applejack frowned, looking around.
"I didn't see him come in here AJ," Sunset said, raising an eyebrow.
"How in tarnations did you miss him," Applejack shouted.
"Because he never walked in the building," Sunset replied.
"Right so I told Twilight to just come and pick us up, once she finds the strangest place in the U.S.A," Sunset said.
"Then I suppose we should look around," Applejack said," Swodahs told me things aren't exactly what they seem 'round here."
"That guy is absolutely the weirdest man I have ever met," Sunset frowned.
When she got back to her apartment she was going to get to the bottom of this, run background checks on a Swodahs.
There wasn't much to look at, save for a billboard and an old shack around the back of the motel. The road stretched for miles in either directions, and Swodahs' convertible still sat in the parking lot. When Sunset had tried hot wiring it, she came across, not wires, but veins, pumping blood.
"Ew," Sunset shouted in disgust.
The vehicle's headlights flickered on and the sound of screaming emitted from the radio. Applejack jumped back, falling over a trash can. The screams soon died and the headlights shut off, Sunset stared down at the veins and let them go. She jumped out and went over to the front of the car. She tried to open the hood but there was no sign of a place to get a grip on it. The smell of guano was strong now, as if there was a constant feed of the stuff entering and leaving the engine. Sunset went to the trunk and, like the hood, there was no way to open it.
"What in the hell do you think you guys are doing to my car," Swodahs shouted from one of the motel windows," get away from that!"
"I told ya he entered the buildin, Sunset," Applejack pointed," I told ya and you said he hadn't."
"Sorry I was just," Sunset struggled to find an excuse," I was just, interested in it."
"Well don't touch it," Swodahs frowned," he's sensitive."
"Machines are usually female," Sunset said, an eyebrow raised," why is this one a he?"
"He just is," Swodahs smiled," his name is Rev and he's a very reliable vehicle."
Sunset nodded, she'd need to find a way to Apploosa, without touching Swodahs' car.
The sun began to set, the old woman walked out the front doors and walked over to the two girls.
"It's getting dark out, please come inside," the old woman suggested," you won't like the night around here."
Sunset began pulling out a few dollar bills.
"Oh no, no need for money," the old woman smiled kindly," I would never leave anyone out in the cold and in danger. Please come inside."
The old woman led them inside and to a room at the far end. She opened the door and motioned them inside, it was pitch black inside and the smell of smoke emitted from nearby.
Sunset reached around the door for a light switch. There wasn't one. Applejack walked in and felt along the walls, they were really bumpy, the wall seemed to stretch on forever as she felt her way further into the room. The door slammed shut behind the two girls and the old woman, torches began to light along the walls, illuminating a cave. The old woman's face melted away, and the sounds of tearing clothes and tendons echoed throughout the cave. Where the woman once was now a skeleton, bat wings spread across the cave, teeth glaring in the light.
"What the what," Sunset said, her eyes trained on the two fangs in the skeleton's row of teeth.
"It only took you this long," the skeleton said," it took you all day."
"What are you talking about," Applejack asked.
"Welcome to a place unlike what you've seen," the skeleton said.
Before the two could ask, footsteps echoed from further down the cave. They sounded like a pair of boots.
"Ladies, welcome," Swodahs smiled as he turned a bend in the cave," please, let me show you around."
It was literal hell in the cave, the smell of something burning filled the air and skulls lined the walls. As they reached the end they were greated by a group of women, dressed in rags, their eyes were sunken and they lacked a healthy look to both their skin and the way their skin stretched around their bones. One took Sunset's jacket and another, Applejack's hat. The others bowed to Swodahs as he escorted the two girls through the hell hole.
"What in tarnations are you doin in.this place," Applejack spoke up.
"Why, mah dear friend, business," Swodahs chuckled. That was all he ever did, laugh, smile, or frown. It wasn't normal, even in this situation, for his smile to look so normal. He was walking them past dead women, naked women, dying women, buildings with men fondling women, and so on.
"This isn't business, this is enslavement," Sunset shouted," these women are being used as your and your men's play things. I'm sure you even have your own special room where two women duke it out."
"Yep," Sowdahs smiled," but you're only seeing the inner image of this town. Here, men don't need to worry about feminism, women telling them off. Here, women are what they'll always be, sex things."
"If you expect us to fall into this," Sunset growled," here's a wake up call."
Sunset punched Swodahs in the jaw and ran off, followed closely by Applejack. Behind Swodahs, women began attacking the men, digging their nails into their eyes and using their weapons against them. Again this Sunset was being a pain. First with Rev and now she's sparking revolution.
"After them," Swodahs shouted as he grabbed a woman by the neck and slammed her to the ground. Her skin burned away and her muscles began to cook. Then, her skull popped, brains splattering everywhere.
The revolution was short any woman who saw what happened backed off. Men were wounded and some women had run off into the Shepherd's Fire lands. Any man who had seen what happened said they'd be getting nightmares for weeks, in fear that they'd be next. The two girls hadn't gotten far. They had tried escaping through the entrance. To their dismay they had been easily caught by many of the motel 'guests'.
Applejack had put up a fight but multiple scratches and limb ripping and Applejack was dead. Although Swodahs never wanted that, he would have to settle with one. The last girl would answer for their crime. Soon.
No One Wants to go to Hell
Sunset woke up to the smell of smoldering wood and stone. Her neck hurt, and she couldn't even feel the ground beneath her feet. That is, if her feet were on the ground. That's when she noticed her condition, she was naked, her hands tied behind her back, and two men walking her along, arms wrapped around her shoulders. Her feet dragged across the ground and she felt a pain in her side, as if something were ripping itself out of her body.
"Welcome Sunset Shimmer," laughed a voice," I hope you enjoyed your rest."
The voice was Swodahs, sitting upon a throne. His arms wrapped around two sexually dressed women. His eyes were trained on Sunset, when light passed him his face seemed to fade away revealing a fanged skull. His eyes burned from the inside, flames licked at his eye sockets. When the lights died his face returned. Sunset continued to look at what he was staring at. She wasn't the only female being dragged to his throne, dozens of women were held in place as Swodahs evaluated them. His eyes trained on every detail. Where ever he saw fault he sent those women down to the commonwealth, where they lived out their days in a crevice between volcanos. For the ones who passed evaluation they moved onto their secondary evaluation, where they were evaluated between sex slave and work slave.
By and by the line got shorter and Sunset got ever closer.
"Unfit," Swodahs frowned pointing to the last woman in front of Sunset.
The two men forced Sunset to her knees, ashes kicked up around her.
"Ah yes," Swodahs smiled," Sunset Shimmer. You nearly got away from me. But no one evades me."
Swodahs gave one look at Sunset and his smile became wider.
"You hold a demon inside you," Swodahs laughed," the woman who acts so innocent holds a darker being inside her. An evil she once held."
Swodahs removed himself from his throne and walked to Sunset. As he passed the lights his fanged skull became prominent again.
"Leave me alone," Sunset groaned, in pain, as Swodahs gripped her side.
"Look at it," Swodahs laughed," even you've neglected it so long it wants out. Look at the skin, do you see the variation in texture? No? Well I do, and your demon wants to be set free. So here's the deal, I can send you down to the crevice between the volcanoes, you can become a sex slave, or I can set your friend here free, allow it to consume your body, and join me as my queen."
As he spoke those words he let every single one sink in, slowly. Her mind went into conflict, as if she weren't alone in her head.
Just imagine the power you could have once more, the things you could do.
No, i'm better than that, that's my past and I don't want any part of it anymore.
You weak fool. This offer is what you need, to exist through me, otherwise you become his personal play thing, or you die in a river of lava.
It's better than letting my friends down, better than losing everything and gain so little in return.
In the end you still lose everything if you die.
"Well," Swodahs raised an eyebrow," i'm waiting."
Give in, join him, and some day you can bring your friends here, you'll have them all here to stand by your side. You can have them all, and still let your pain go.
"No," Sunset shouted," I won't do it."
Swodahs' smile turned into a grimace.
"You should have listened to your new king," Swadohs frowned," you would have made a very fine queen. Off with her head."
"Wait," Sunset's eyes widened," but you said."
The two men started dragging her away.
"Hail to the king baby," Swodahs smiled," hail to the fucking king."
Tears welled up inside Sunset's eyes, she was going to die, and she wouldn't even be allowed to say goodbye to her friends.
The men dragged Sunset into a small room, in its center lied a guillotine. The blade was rested between the head and shoulders of a skeleton. Blood was crusted onto the blade, and skeletons lay everywhere. The two men motioned for another to remove the skeleton, making room for Sunset. Her hands were strapped in along with her head. The blade dangled above her head, ready to be released. Her heartbeat drummed, faster, and faster, and then, there was no heartbeat, there was nothing.
